Thomas Clarkson

Thomas Clarkson (1760-1846) was a British abolitionist who campaigned against the slave trade and slavery, not only in Great Britain but also in France and Russia. He was vice-president, with William Wilberforce, of the Anti-Slavery Society. He wrote several pamphlets and books, including History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade. With Granville Sharp he founded The Society for the Abolition of the Slave trade in 1787, and was responsible for collecting information - interviews with thousands of sailors, torture instruments - to support the abolition of the slave trade. He wrote A Summary View of the Slave Trade and of the Probable Consequences of Its Abolition.